Valley businesswomen

Acting school, boutique owners describe road to entrepreneurship

Adalia Garza | THE RIDER

An acting school in Edinburg and an online boutique shop in Brownsville are businesses run by women who pursued their ambitions. 

Maria Dolores Alvarado, owner of MDA Acting, a DACA recipient and 2017 UTRGV graduate, is no stranger to business.

Alvarado said her inspiration to start a business began early in college. 

“I studied theatre performance at the university, and while I was a student, sometimes, I would get involved in summer camps where I would teach acting,” she said. “As I was going through certain organizations where I was teaching … I realized I have the resources, and I can implement my own standards with nothing to hold me back.” 

Alvarado said she wanted to teach and prepare her students.  

“I want to prepare them for a career in acting, if that’s what they want,” she said. “I want to prepare them for finding an agent, continuing a career, getting auditions, actually getting out there.” 

Alvarado decided, after seeing the potential of the students during other camps she was involved in, she wanted to start a business where she could help harness their ability, even if the decision to do so was risky. 

“There wasn’t too much expected from the students, and I knew they could do better,” she said. “I wasn’t getting paid as much as I felt like my time was worth. That’s when I thought, ‘If either way I’m losing money, and I’m not doing it fully how I want to, I’m going to do it my own way and with my own efforts. I’ll make whatever I make and lose whatever I lose, but it’s mine.’ So, that’s when I built up the courage to [say], ‘OK, I’m going to do it myself.’” 

Alvarado said she will always give her students the best quality service. 

“A long-term goal is to grow it, of course, but to always keep giving the same quality,” she said. “No matter how big we get, or how small we stay, always the best quality for our students because they deserve it.” 

Alvarado said she has been encouraged to continue pursuing her dream. 

“I feel that I’ve received support,” she said. “It’s been very encouraging. I feel like, right now, we are in an environment and time where it’s very encouraging to pursue your business, your dream. I am grateful for that. I’m happy about it.” 

Alvarado advises women and future entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams without fear.

“Go for it, to not be afraid,” she said. “Sometimes, we think about it too much, and we build all these challenges that, in the end, don’t even exist. … Doesn’t matter your status, still pursue your dream and get as far as you can.”  

 Yliana Guzman, a middle school teacher at IDEA Brownsville, owns Camelia Mexican Boutique, an online shop where she sells authentic apparel and accessories made by indigenous women in several parts of Mexico.

Guzman has the unique opportunity to help artisan women and communities in Mexico by selling their crafted products. According to its website, she and her family travel to different states, such as Oaxaca, Puebla and Chiapas, to support them and ensure they get fair pay. 

“With your purchase, you are supporting over 300 artisan women and their families,” the boutique website states.  We travel all over Mexico and visit indigenous communities who are struggling to keep their Mayan culture alive. We purchase directly from them to make sure they get a fair pay.” 

With a conversation and ambition to start the business in 2017, Guzman explained that it was difficult, but was supported by her customers as she began to sell items. 

“It’s really hard to be a woman entrepreneur because people think you can’t make it or you won’t make it, but I think, because I sell women’s clothing and my customers are women, I have had success and my customers trust me,” she said. 

As a woman running her own company, however small or big, she explained that being the owner with all of its responsibilities makes her feel empowered.  

“I feel successful, even if I don’t make money because I accomplished something,” Guzman said. “I was able to get a product to someone and to help the person that made it get money in their hands. It is very empowering to be able to do that.”  

Guzman offers advice to future women entrepreneurs. 

“It’s going to be hard,” she said. It’s always going to be hard to start something, but every time, you just have to get up and remember what your end goal is, where you want to be. Always have that vision. When I started, my husband was looking at me kind of strange because I only had, maybe, 10 products, and I was already starting my website. … But you got to visualize it as if I’m going to end up being this big corporation.”